Internal-combustion engine



Jail. 5, 1926.

F. BULLINGTON INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed June 9, 1923 N MM A NORM; r

Jan. 5 1926.

F. A. BULLINGTON INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 9, 1923 mm m Q\ R 0 5. mm m r N Mm m M 1 T Q N T O V 0 0 A P \0 mm a 7, Q hm \h 0 v 0 U Q 0 O 0 Patented Jan. 51926.

UNITED STATES 1,568,052 PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK A. BULLINGTON, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI ASSIGNOB TO BULLINGTON IOTORS, O1 KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, A COIKON-LAW TRUST CONSISTING F SOLOION STODDARD, ERNEST E. HOWARD, AND FRANK A. BULLINGTON.

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE.

Application filed June 9,

To all whom it may concern..-

Be it known that I, FRANK A. BULLING- TON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kansas Cit in the county of Jackson and State of I'lissouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Internal-Combustion Engines; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to alternating piston engines in which co-operating pairs of pistons rotate in an annular cylinder or working chamber about a common axis.

The primary object of the invention is to rovide an alternating piston rotary engine in which the expansion ratio of the exploded gases is greater than the compression ratio of the fuel.

According to standard practice, the expansion ratio is equal to the compression ratio; that is, if there is a five to one compression ratio, there will be a five to one expansion ratio, the burntgases being ex hausted from the expansion chamber long before they. have completed total expansion. In other words, according to standard engine practice the gases are exhausted while they are still capable of doing useful work and as a result, the engine is not as efficient as it would be were means provided for taking advantage of the full expansive force of the gases in the expansion chamber. This inherent objection to explosion engines has long been recognized but prior to m invention it has been considered impracticable to provide a simple form of engine whereby there can be a differential between the compression ratio and the expansion ratio but I have provided means whereby the eflicieucy of the engine can be increased due to the fact that the gases can be taken into the compression chamber and compressed at a ratio which will be within safe limits and expanding the burnt gases in an expansion chamber during the full period, that useful work can be obtained from such burnt gases.

By way of example the fuel may be com- 1823. Serial No. 844,38

pressed in the compression chamber at a ratio of about five to one and the burnt gases may be expanded in the expansion chamber at a ratio of about eight to one. These figures are merely illustrative as I do not wish to be limited to the exact ratio between the com ression and the expansion of the gases.

I ave also provided means for insuring a constant com ression in the' compression chamber and vary the power or speed of the motor by varying the quantity of the fuel. The B. T. U. value of the fuelis practically constant but in order to maintain a constant compression I introduce a secondary volumetric fluid into the compression chamber, the secondary volumetric fluid varying in inverse ratio with res ct to the primary volumetric fluid or uel introduced; that is, the greater the primary volumetric fluid or fuel, the lessel the secondary volumetric fluid and vice versa. The secondary volumetric fluid is preferably air or it may be an inert gas or one less explosive than the primer volumetric fluid or fuel charge, the secon ary volumetric fluid however is not introduced, however, in a manner to dilute the fuel. The fuel and air are introduced into the compression chamber in concentric strata, the fuel being introduced at the periphery of the cylinder and the air at a point near the center of the stratum of fuel, this being an im ortant feature of the invention because te rich mixture will tend to flow alon the outer portion of the wall of the cylin er past the spark plug for igniting it and, due to the location of the parts there will be a tendency to maintain the rich fuel at the outer portion of the cylinder during the operation of the engine.

Ihave provided means whereby the cylinder may be scavenged between pistons at. a suitable point between the exhaust port and the intake port and I have provided means whereby the fuel inlet port and the air inlet port may be controlled through a single mechanism so that in certain respects there will be a definite co-operative relation between the valves for the primar volumetric fluid or fuel inlet port and tie secondary volumetric fluid or air inlet port and consequently, a definite relation between the effective port areas of the fuel inlet port 7 strata ratio within the compression chamher.

-in elevation; the section being taken on the line 11 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is an end elevational view of the motor with the cover plate removed.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view showing thepositions of the istons at the end of the expansion stroke 0 two pistons.

Fig. 4 is a dia rammatic view showing the beginning of the compression stroke of two pistons, and

Fig. 5 is a dgtail view of the fuel and air valve-operating mechanism.

The engine casing 1 isprovided with a crank case 2, which is secured thereto in any suitable manner.

The engine casing 1 is provided with a cover plate 3 which co-operates with it to form a cylindrical working chamber 4, the

coverplate co-operating with the casing to form a rotor chamber 5 connected to the cylinder 4 by a passageway 6. The rotors 7 and 8 carry the pistons A, A, B and B, it being understood that there are two pistons on each rotor.

The iston shaft 9 is mounted in a bearing 10 in the cover late 3 and in a recess 11 in a crank sha t carrier member 12, which is integral with the power delivering shaft 13, mounted in the bearing 14 in the crank case 2. The piston shaft 15 is sleeved upon the shaft 9 and extends beyond the hub 16 of the engine case 1.

The hub 16 carries a fixed gear 17 and forms a support for the crank shaft carrier 12. The collar 18 of the crank shaft carrier 12 rotates about the hub. The crank shaft carrier carries a double throw crank shaft 19 having a fly wheel 20 on one end and a gear 22 on the other. The gear 22 meshes with the gear 17. The crank shaft 19 has two crank pins 23 and 24 at 180 degrees apart and these are connected to the piston arms 25 and 26 through the medium of connecting rods 27 and 28. The crank arms 25 and 26 are provided with counter balance weights 29 and 30.

The piston movements cause the respective piston shafts to operate in a manner well understood by those familiar with alternating piston rotary engines to communicate motion to the linkage mechanism including the crank shaft carrier, the crank connections, etc., to the shaft 13 but since the linkage mechanism constitutes no part of the present invention I have deemed it unnecessar to enter into an extended description t ereof; the invention in this case being confined more particularly to the relationship between the pistons and the cylinder 4.

By reference to Fig. 2 it will be observed that the cylinder 4 is provided with a fuel inlet port 31 by means of which fuel can be introduced into the cylinder of the engine. The inlet port 31 communicates with a port 32 connected to a suitable source of fuel supply as, for example, a carburetor, and in the port 32 is a valve 33 of approved construction.

The fuel inlet port is near the periphery of the cylinder 4 and in overlapped relation therewith but near the center of the cylinder is an elongated arcuate passageway or groove 34, which communicates with the volumetric fluid inlet port 35. The port 35 is provided with a valve 36. The cylinder is also provided with an exhaust port 37 and between the exhaust port and the inlet ort are scavenging ports, there being an inet port 38 near the center and an outlet port 39 near the peripher The outlet port may communicate wit an exhauster 40 of approved construction so that air can be drawn into the cylinder through the port 38 and then exhausted through the port 39.

As heretofore stated,.the prime object'of the invention is to provide an engine in whichthe expansion ratio as compared with the compression ratio will be considerably greater than that which has heretofore been considered standard engine practice and the means b which I' accomplish the desired result Wlll now be explained.

Assuming the pistons A and B. to be in the position shown in Fig. 2, it will be observed that air has entered 38 and passed through 39, scavengin the space between them. As the piston moves forward in a clockwise direction'with the piston B following it at a retarded speed, the piston A will establish communication between the space between A and B and the space between B and A because as the piston A moves forward, it will uncover the arcuate by-pass port or passageway 34 to allow some of the contents in the space between A and B to pass into the space between A and B. By'the time the piston A uncovers port 34, it will have closed off port 31 which is the fuel inlet port. Therefore, the piston A will be moving on its compression stroke but it will not be compressing the charge in the compression chamber between B and A because piston B, moving at a retarded speed and A moving at an accelerated speed, will be constricting the space between pistons B and A but it ill be increasing the volumetric capacity of the space between the pistons A and B at the same' ratio. Consequently, the piston A- per end of the arcuate passageway 34 to close off communication between 'the space between the pistons A and B and the passageway 34. Before this takes place, the piston B will have closed off the ports 38 and 39, leaving the fuel inlet port 31 open or uncovered so that fuel may pass into the space between A and B, as shown in Fig. 4. The diagram in Fig; 3 is. a diagrammatic view of the pistons shown in Fig. 2.

As A advances toward B, it will compress the charge, say from five to one, until'the pistons A and B assume the positions occupied by pistons A and B in Fig. 2, forming acombustion chamber so that the charge can be exploded by the spark plug 41.

'lVhen the charge is exploded, the piston B,

being in the position of piston A, will he the accelerated piston and it will start to move forward in a clockwise direction under the expansive force of the gas and continue under the-expansive force of the gas until it has uncovered/the exhaust port 37 when it will be in the position of the piston B in Fig. 2. T hen'the cycle is completed and the cycle will begin over again. and con tinuein recurring cycles, asis well understood.

Assuming that the space between A and B in Fig. 2 represents one volume, although the piston A" moves through an arc sufliclent to compress eight volumes, it w ll only be effective in compressing five volumes because during the time that it passes over the arcuate slot 34, it has a compression movement but no effective compression function. The compression function begins only when the piston A has reached the position shown in the diagram Fig. 4. The expansion movement, however, of the piston B in Fig. 2 will be effective throughout a stroke equivalent to eight volumes; that is, while it Wlll have the same movement as A, it will be un der the influence of the expanded gases throughout its 'entire movement from the time of the explosion until it reachesthe exhaust port. Consequently, the expansive gases will be effective through a period three-fifths longer than the compress on period between co-operating compression pistons. -The refore', the expansion ratlo is at all times greater than the'compression ratio and it is importanthere to observe that. the air being admitted near the center of the cylinder and the fuel mixture near the periphery of the cylinder, the air and fuel mixture undiluted will be stratified in concentric Stratification, the undiluted fuel mixture being exploded by the spark plug in a manner to obtain the hi hest efliciency.

The engine may be controlled by controlling the intake ports 32 and 35. Any means may be provided for controlling them but I have shown the valves 33 and 36 with arms 42 and 43, the arm 43 being normally urged in one direction by a spring 44 to hold the valve 36 for the air port open. The arm 42 has a rod 45 passing through it with collars 46 and 47. An expansion spring 48 bears against the collar '47 and against a collar 49 on the end of the rod 45. i Since the rod passes through the loop 50 in the arm 43 loosely, it will be apparent that there will be a tendency to -maintain the rod 45 in the position shown in Fig. 5., If it is desired to open the port 32, the rod may be moved to compress the sprin moving the arm 42 until it contacts with a stop 51. A continued movement of the rod 45 will cause the collar 56 to bear against the arm 43 and swing. the valve 36 to closed position. Therefore, itwill be seen that there is a lost motion connection between the arms 42 and 43 because the valve 33 may be operateda partial opening movement without effecting the valve 36 but bythe time the valve33 has completely opened, the valve 36 will begin to close and it may continue .to close while the valve 33 is open. When pressure is removed from the rod 45, the valve 33 will automatically close and the spring 44 will automatically open the valve 36 so that there is a definite relation between the movements of the two valves 33 and 36. Therefore, when the maximum amount of the primary volumetric fluid, that is the fuel mixture is introduced into the cylinder of the engine, the minimum amount of secondary volumetric fluid (for example, air) will be introduced into the cylinder and when the minimum amount of fuel mixture is intro duced into the cylinder, the maximum amountv of secondary volumetric fluid will be introduced into the cylinder. Therefore, it will be apparent that the engine can be controlled in a simple, effective manner without destroying the stratification of the fuel and. the secondary volumetric medium or fluid.

I prefer to use air because air is an ideal medium to use sinceit contains the-oxygen to support combustion of the fuel mixture, although I do not wish to be limited to the use of air as a volumetric fluid under all conditions.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters-Patent is:

1. An explosion engine comprising a cylinder, piston means therein, the cylinder being divided by the piston means into a. compression chamber and a separate expansion chamber, provided with an inlet port for the compression chamber and an exhaust port for the expansion chamber, means for admitting fuel mixture into the compression chamber, means for admitting a secondary volumetric fluid into the compression chamber simultaneously with the fuel mixture to maintain constant compression within the compression chamber irrespective of the amount of the fuel mixture admitted, and means for exploding the fuel mixture so that it can exert expansion force within the expansion chamber against the piston means.

2. An explosion engine comprising a c linder, piston means therein, the cylinder 0- ing divided by the piston means into a compression chamber and a. separate expansion chamber, provided with an inlet port for the compression chamber and an exhaust port for the expansion chamber, means for admitting a secondary volumetric fluid into the compression chamber simultaneousl with the fuel mixture in strata to maintain constant compression within the compression chamber irrespective of the amount of the fuel mixture admitted, and means for exploding the fuel mixture so that it can exert expansion force within the expansion chamber against the piston means.

3. An explosion engine comprising a cylinder, piston means therein, the cylinder being divided by the piston means into a compression chamber and a separate expansion chamber, provided with an mlet port for the compression chamber and an exhaust port for the expansion chamber, means for admitting fuel mixture into the compression chamber, means for admitting a secondary volumetric fluid into the compression chamber simultaneously with the fuel mixture and in inverse ratio to the amount of fuel mixture admitted, the secondary volumetric fluid being maintained in strata prior to the exploding of the fuel mixture, and means for exploding the fuel mixture so that it can exert expansive force within the expansion chamber against the piston means whereby the engine will have an expansion ratio greater than its compression ratio.

4. An explosion engine comprising a c linder, piston means therein, the cylinder eing divided by the piston means into a compression chamber and a separate expansion chamber provided with an inlet port for the compression chamber and an exhaust port for the expansion chamber, means for admitting fuel mixture into the compression chamber, means for admitting a secondary volumetric fluid into the compression chamber simultaneously with the fuel mixture in strata and in inverse ratio to the amount of fuel mixtureadmitted, the secondary volumetric fluid bein maintained in strata prior to the explodlng of the fuel mixture, and means for exploding the fuel mixture so that it can exert expansive force within the compression chamber of the engine, and

means for simultaneously admitting a secondary volumetric fluid into the com ression chamber in strata in inverse ratio to the fuel admitted to the compression chamber, the secondar volumetric fluid and fuel being maintaine in the compression champerlm strata prior to the explosion of the 6. An explosion engine comprising a cylinder having a fuel mixture inlet port and an exhaust port, means for exploding the gases, the en ine having a constant expansion ratio an a constant compression ratio, the expansion ratio being greater than the compression ratio, means for varying the quantity of fuel mixture admitted to the compression chamber of the engine, and means for simultaneously admitting a secondar volumetric fluid into the com ression 0 amber in inverse ratio to the fue admitted to the compression chamber, the secondary volumetric fluid and fuel mixture being maintained in the compression chamber 1n strata. prior to the explosion of the fuel mixture, the fuel mixture charge bein maintained at that part of the cylinder a jacent to the means for combusting the fuel charge.

7. An explosion engine comprising a cylinder and piston means dividing the cylinder into separate compression and expansion chambers, said engine including means for providing a constant compression ratio in the compression chamber, means for providing a constant fuel value, and means for providing a constant expansion ratio in the separate expansion chamber, the expansion ratio being greater than the compression ratio.

8. An explosion engine comprising a cylinder having a cylindrical working chamber provided with a fuel mixture inlet and an exhaust port, a secondary volumetric fluid inlet port co-operating with the fuel mixture port to admit fluid into the combustion chamber of the engine, pairs of pistons in the cylindrical working chamber rotating about a common axis, the pistons of complementary pails having relative movement to compress fuel mixture charges to combustible pressures, means for igniting the compressed charges, the ratio of the expansion of the engine being greater than the ratio of compression, and means for variably admitting the fuel mixture charge and the volumetric fluid into the compression chamber, the fuel charge and the volumetric fluid being admitted into the compression chamber simultaneously in strata.

9. An explosion engine comprising a cylinder having a cylindrical working chamber provided with a fuel mixture inlet and an exhaust port, a secondary volumetric fluid inlet port co-operating with the fuel mixture port to admit secondary volumetric fluid into the combustion chamber of the engine, pairs of pistons in the cylindrical working chamber rotating about a common axis, the pistons of complementary pairs having relative movement to compress fuel mixture charges to combustible pressures, means for igniting the compressed charges, the ratio of the expansion of the engine being greater than the ratio of compression, means for variably admitting the fuel mixture charge and the secondary volumetric fluid into the compression chamber, the fuel mixture charge and the secondary volumetric fluid being admitted into the compression chamber in strata, and means for scavenging the spaces between complementary pistons, said means being located between the exhaust port and the inlet ports.

10. In an explosion engine, a cylinder having a fuel mixture inlet port, a secondary volumetric fluid inlet port for admitting secondary volumetric fluid simultaneously with the fuel mixture, and an exhaust port,

piston means in the cylinder dividing the cylinder into a compression chamber and a separate expansion chamber, means for varying the fuel mixture passed into the compression chamber, means for varying the secondary volumetric fluid passed into the compression chamber, the secondary volumetric fluid and the fuel mixture being maintained in the compression chamber in strata prior to ignition, and means for igniting the fuel mixture charge.

11. An explosion engine having a cylinder provided with a fuel mixture inlet port, a secondary volumetric fluid inlet port and an exhaust port, the secondary volumetric port having aby-pass passageway for by-passing fluid from one side of the piston means to the other, the fuel mixture and the secondary volumetric fluid being admitted into the cylinder in strata, andmeans for varying the relative ratio between the fuel mixture and the secondary volumetric fluid means.

12. An explosion engine comprising a cylinder and piston means therein, the cylinder having a compression chamber and an expansion chamber separated from the compression chamber by the piston means, an inlet port for the compression chamber and. an exhaust port for the expansion chamber, and means for discharging some of the introduced fluid from the compression chamber to cause the expansion ratio of the engine to be greater than the compression ratio.

In testimon whereof I aflix my signature.

F ANK A. BULLINGTON. 

